Lenovo chose to use Windows 8 Pro for its new hybrid notebook/tablet because it believes businesses don't want Windows RT.

Lenovo Think PC and visual category manager Simon Kent said Windows 8 Pro was the obvious choice for its new hybrid notebook/tablet -- the ThinkPad Helix -- because businesses want the full Windows 8 experience instead of the sliced and diced OS that is Windows RT.

"We don't believe that Windows RT is what businesses want," Kent said. "This is particularly true for a premium product such as Helix, which gives you the performance and capability of a full Ultrabook as well as a business tablet."

"Even Microsoft has started to review the RT path they have gone down."

Kent described the ThinkPad Helix as an Ultrabook first and a tablet second, where businesses can use it as a hard-working, performance tool or just a vehicle for content consumption -- whether they're at a desk or on-the-go.

Windows RT has been a huge disappointment for hardware makers. Companies like Dell and Lenovo have recently slashed the prices of their RT-powered devices because they can't seem to clear their inventory. For instance, Lenovo offered a seven-day deal last month where its IdeaPad Yoga 11 was available for just $599 -- down from the original $799 price. Amazon sells the model for just $499.

The Dell XPS 10 tablet with Windows RT, which launched at $500 for the 32GB, is now $450. The 64GB model launched at $599 and is now $499.

"Demand is not where I would like it to be at this point in time," said Hand. "The amount of market information about it is not good enough, and the market sentiment is still pretty negative."

Despite criticism of Windows RT, Microsoft has been defending its baby and denying rumors that it will die off. However, a Bloomberg source anonymously revealed that Microsoft has sold 1.5 million Surface tablets as of March. More specifically, the company had sold a little over a million Surface with Windows RT tablets and about 400,000 Surface with Windows Pro tablets.

And there you have it. If you're going to accept a stripped down version of Windows, it requires a stripped down price. If you have a proper Citrix or TS environment built out and that's what runs your LoB apps then RT would be fine. Then again so is Android and iOS. And RT without Outlook isn't good enough to require more money. At $3-400, with Outlook, I would say it would be a viable alternative with the right infrastructure. They could use local documents and access company apps over the rest. It would be great. But at $600 w/ the keyboard, which is a necessity? Crazy...

Huh? I doesn't matter what it runs. A tablet is not a business computer. Employees get a bottom-dollar cheapo PC on their desk. Cheapo PC cannot be replaced by a tablet, because nobody wants to work on a tiny screen all day. They need a full sized monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Cheapo PC cannot be supplemented by the tablet because it's too expensive and doesn't add value, doesn't improve productivity.

The only folks who may be able to use such a device are traveling sales men, and executives. That's a niche market, at best.

quote: Huh? I doesn't matter what it runs. A tablet is not a business computer.

Yes, it DOES matter. If tablets ran office productivity suites, then they would qualify as business computers. If tablets ran graphics software or SDKs, then they would qualify as workstations. The only things limiting a tablet these days are software availability and high-end horsepower.

quote: Employees get a bottom-dollar cheapo PC on their desk.

Which explains the attraction of tablets, netbooks, and notebooks: portability.

quote: Cheapo PC cannot be replaced by a tablet, because nobody wants to work on a tiny screen all day. They need a full sized monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Some tablets support docking stations, some have wireless peripherals, and others have built-in ports for HDMI, USB and removable memory cards. The point behind tablets is that you can unplug them from those devices when they aren't needed.

That is true for today's tablets. However, as the performance continues to improve and the prices continue to drop, the software library and productivity will increase.

quote: The only folks who may be able to use such a device are traveling sales men, and executives. That's a niche market, at best.

The first statement is mostly true, the second is completely false. There are many individuals who perform presentations on tablets, including software engineers. Again, the limitations are performance, which is improving, and software, which is becoming more diverse. And when you consider the number of executives, salesmen and marketers, they aren't a niche market at all. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are:

And consider department meetings. You wouldn't need a computer hooked up to a projector if the tablet could do that. No need for profile synching, or RDP to the presenter's desktop. The number of laptops would decrease, as well. Tablets are ridiculously expensive, but still cheaper than the average business laptop, which is normally $1,200 or more.

quote: Windows tablet is an answer to a question nobody asked.

So was the iPad, yet Apple managed to make a case for consumer use. Had it tried, Apple could have made the iPad into a business device, as well. For now, only MS is trying with the Surface Pro, but it made a mistake in making RT in an attempt to steal iPad market share.

You forget that most of those 10m people arent just stats, they are actual people with actual jobs at real companies and almost all of them have specific software they use, all of which requires an x86 version of Windows. Not that tablets arent capable, but the enterprise/business software doesnt exist.

I've presented to many, many higher-ups (not even executives) that view presentations on ultralights (or ultrabooks now) or blackberries. These are people that don't do a whole lot of heavy lifting in their day-to-day role, but have to jump from meeting to meeting, often in different buildings.

A tablet that can natively view (and do basic editing of) Office apps that can tap into Outlook/Active Directory would be perfect for these people.

Not to mention anybody in business who flies - you can barely open a laptop comfortably in business class, and forget about most coach seats if you're carrying something larger than 13". If you're prepping for your next presentation in Word or Powerpoint or just catching up on replying to email, you don't need high horsepower nor do you have immense input needs.

Sure, it works for some, but not for most. Most companies have at least 1 (if not alot more) apps that everyone uses that only runs on an x86 Windows machine. Tablets are certainly good for alot of the "mobile professional" types while travelling ,but when they come back to the office, they still needs their x86 PC's. So, its a good addition, but not even close to a replacement.

It is a perfect replacement if the tablet has x86 Atom with Windows 8 inside, ESPECIALLY if this Atom is Bay Trail. ARM doesn't get even close to Bay Trail in awesomeness as a tablet chip, IMHO. Learn the basics retro! Shame on you :)

"It is a perfect replacement if the tablet has x86 Atom with Windows 8 inside, ESPECIALLY if this Atom is Bay Trail. ARM doesn't get even close to Bay Trail in awesomeness as a tablet chip, IMHO. Learn the basics retro! Shame on you :)"

We are both making the same point. Someone above was asserting that tablets like IOS and Android will make big gains and replace PC's in the enterprise sector and I was saying, hell no they wont, not in the next decade if ever. It has to be x86 or its not going to happen.

How do you expect to run enterprise software on Android or iOS tablets, when the best they have to offer is 2GiB of RAM and dual-core ARM CPUs less than 2GHz?

On the other hand, the best tablets performance-wise seem to be based on Windows 8 Pro, and only because MS created the Surface Pro first. Many of those tablets support 4-8GiB of RAM, but they're still gimped in the CPU. Not unexpected in that form factor, but you're still limited to dual-core i5s or i7s at less than 2GHz.

What I mean is that the software wont exist, even when tablets catch up in horsepwer. Not for the most part. I dont mean MS office compatible apps, or light web based apps, I am talking the meat and potatoes that businesses run off of. For example, a manufacturing company... There is specialized software for each area of the business. Planning, purchasing, inbound logistics, warehousing, shop floor, shipping, accounting, reverse logistics, CRM software etc etc... Each area has software written and specialized for its use. Even if tablets could run it horsepower-wise (much of which they already could) no-one is making the software and no-one likely will, at least not for a long long time.

My point was that ARM based tablets arent going to take over the business sector. Meaning IOS, Android and WinRT arent going anywhere in enterprise... This is where Windows x86 tablets like your Surface could be highly useful.

No one is going to run their <insert database here> on a tablet because the form factor is wrong. It is just not comfortable to do so... yes you can run desktop programs on a surface but the 10" screen and small keyboard are a deal breaker if its something you're going to be working on at a stationary desk 8 hours a day 5 days a week.

quote: Some tablets support docking stations, some have wireless peripherals, and others have built-in ports for HDMI, USB and removable memory cards. The point behind tablets is that you can unplug them from those devices when they aren't needed.

Thousands, if not millions, of corporate laptop users dock on a daily basis and connect to large screens and keyboards. And you make it sound like it's impossible to make a tablet computer with a screen larger than 10.1 inches. While I don't see a need for the current crop of tablets (not suited for business, and too expensive for consumer use), I see tablets and laptops merging at some point in the future. Tablets will be laptops without a keyboard.

I'm not sure if the problem is that I'm not explaining myself well, or if I'm just talking to a bunch of Archers who don't get core concepts.

quote: I see tablets and laptops merging at some point in the future. Tablets will be laptops without a keyboard. I'm not sure if the problem is that I'm not explaining myself well, or if I'm just talking to a bunch of Archers who don't get core concepts.

Have you considered that maybe you're just wrong?

A comfortable size for working on a laptop is 14-17" inches... yes you can get by with 13" if the resolution is low enough but again low resolution can make working uncomfortable as well, 1600x900 or 1920x1080 is required to give yourself the screen real estate to effectively multitask. Large numbers of people's eyes are not good enough to read 10-12pt font on a 10" 1920x1080 monitor without zooming.

That said, 14-17 inches is too big for a tablet, they start to lose their portability advantages at that size. Lugging around extra keyboards and monitors also causes you to lose that portability advantage, so that becomes impractical at a point. Sure a business could just setup a dock with a monitor and keyboard/mouse but why? Now you have a device that the user could forget at home or lose and that makes sharing between users more difficult so in that case a desktop makes more sense.

The preferred size for a tablet 7-10" is too small for laptops and the preferred size for a laptop is too big for a tablet. They are two different market segments and will be for physical reasons regardless of how refined the technology becomes. The fact is there is no such thing as a one size fits all device, it doesn't work for cars, it doesn't work for TVs, and its not going to work for personal computing devices either.

If your assertion is that any tablet that can't run desktop applciation is useless then the same applies to the iPad, yet business purchase those. I would agree that from a worker productivity perspective any tablet that doesnt run desktop applications is limitted, but that isn't the only motivating factor in business. Sometimes businesses want to experiment with new technology to see if it has unexpected advantages. Sometimes they just want to appear flashy in front of their clients.

To all the the Apple fans who are appauled at the idea of a windows 8 tablet being considered flashy, the iPad may be vastly popular than windows 8 tablets, but it is not more "fresh". Like it or not sometimes people just want whatever is newest.